Dr Rob Grant FRSC, CEO at Gas Recovery and Recycle Limited, dropped in on PES to bring us up to date on their argon recycling process. They have experienced tremendous growth already and more is expected. The ArgonØ ¬™ is good for the environment and through recycling, delivers cost reductions to companies implementing it. No wonder business is good!
PES: Hi Rob, it’s a pleasure good to talk with you. As you know we have been following GR2L for some years now and you are regular participants in PES Solar/PV. To start with please could you give us a brief overview of your company?
Dr Rob Grant: GR2L was founded in 2008 to commercialise chemical looping combustive purification technology developed in collaboration with Cambridge University, UK. This addresses the 10-10,000ppm impurity level gap not addressed by current conventional gas purification technologies as seen, for example, in the microelectronics industry.
GR2L specialises in the recovery, purification and recycling of inert purge gases used in high value manufacturing industries such as Solar PV, microelectronics and 3D metal powder additive manufacturing. Today GR2L’s primary focus is on the photovoltaic industry, for the recycle of argon, which is used in very large quantities during the crystallisation of silicon into ingots – the first stage in the manufacture of silicon based solar cells.
GR2L entered into partnership with the British based UK Gas Technologies Group based near Gatwick, UK, in 2010 to manufacture GR2L’s flagship product, the ArgonØ ¬™ and bring it to market. The UK Gas Technologies Group has a track record in high purity gas installations in the semiconductor and medical markets and is synergistic with GR2L.
PES: You work in several industries, how important is solar to you and in your opinion is it an expanding market or has it reached its peak?
